Big day today with the L.A. Marathon, the swallows returning to Capistrano, and the buzzards returning to Hinckley, Ohio (truly - Google it if you don't believe me) . . .
MONDAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING - And the next day of rain as well. Looks like this one will go through Wednesday morning and be heaviest on Tuesday.
ZOOM SEEKERS LAST WEEK - We always try to give you something to think about with our monthly Zoom Seekers gatherings and I think we did that in spades last week. Our speakers were Aviad Cahana and Dan Orr. Dan is consulting Aviad's company which has created the Avelo system, which is essentially a new way to dive that offers you better trim and buoyancy through re-designed equipment (Aviad is an engineer) that essentially does away with the BC. Rather than try to explain it here, you can watch the recording of the talk on our YouTube channel and come to your own conclusions:
THE AVELO SYSTEM.
CONGRATS TO MUREX IN INDONESIA - This is one of our home-away-from-home places and we just wanted to give them a shout-out as this weekend they celebrated the 35th anniversary of showing people the wonders in the waters around Manado, Sulawesi. Congrats to Danny & Angelique for carrying on the pioneering work of Angelique's parents, Dr. Hanny & Mrs. Ineke Batuna, who founded Murex in 1988. Here's to another 35 years and more!!!
WHO WANTS TO SEE WHALE SHARKS? - The correct answer is: Everyone. We've got an opportunity for you August 19-26 this year as we once again journey down to Isla Mujeres, near Cancun, where every year 400-800 whales sharks congregate and are waiting to meet you. We'll have 3 days out with the whale sharks, a day of cenotes diving, two days of scuba diving including a day exploring the Cancun Underwater Museum, and a good time will be had by all. Since you're only allowed to snorkel with the whale sharks, this is also a great trip for a non-diver as well. I try to keep this group small, so no more than a dozen or so people (we've already got five people committed). Cost of the adventure is $3,195, not including airfare. This will be our 4th trip down there and if this is something that interests you, read the trip report and see the pix from our trip in 2016 and then e-mail or call us to join the fun:
ISLA MUJERES TRIP REPORT & PIX.
RED TIDE IN FLORIDA - In Alabama they say "Roll Tide" but in Florida they've been saying "red tide." There's plenty of problems facing the state lately and this one has been going on since October and recently flared up again. It's happening along Florida's Gulf Coast (western side of the state) and to put it simply, isn't pleasant. Read more about it here from the Associated Press:
FLORIDA RED TIDE.
SECOND WHAMMY TO HIT FLORIDA - If you believe in Divine Intervention, perhaps a signal is being sent to Florida? Because if the red tide isn't bad enough, say hello to getting smothered in sargassum. (We get sargassm here too, but not like this.) There's a 5,000-mile wide patch of it - starting off the shores of Africa - that's making its way towards the Gulf of Mexico and the Sunshine State. This can occur annually but this year it's shaping up to be the largest on record. When it comes ashore, it can pile up 5-6 feet deep and as it decays, smells like rotten eggs. Read more about it here:
SARGASSUM BLOB TAKING AIM AT FLORIDA.
CHAMBER DAY ROLLING ALONG - We've got the Reef Seekers Chamber Eve table half full, the Flying Dutchman is filling (but we need more Reef Seekers divers to sign up so we can maintain our position as the #1 Dutchman recruiter), and the Challenge is doing nicely, currently at $30,600. We've got a ways to go to the May 3 event and still need your help. You can find out more and sign up or just make a straight donation by going to this link:
www.chamber.day.org.
DOLPHIN & DOG ARE BEST BUDDIES - Great story out of the Turks & Caicos about a dog and a dolphin who have been friends and playing with each other for quite some time:
DOLPHIN & DOG BFF.
And that'll do it for now. Have a great week and let's go diving soon!!!
- Ken
